Raptor: Hatchling
by FFTechbeta
Summary: A group of raptors finds an infant human and decides to raise him. More to come.
1. O N E

R A P T O R

F O R E W O R D

Just as a note, the naming format of the raptors is borrowed from the Halo® book series. I don't think Bungie copyrighted how to name an Elite. Also, many of the elements from those books show up here. Terms such as "point" and the militaristic style of the raptor pack. And that some moderate language appears, not super-frequently but it's there.

Also, please email me ideas for what should happen next, and this can be a much longer running story (think sequels) than if I invent all the concepts. Email to: include "Raptor" in the subject line.

O N E

Dena 'Fulsamee was not the average raptor. He stood 7' tall, one above normal, and was stronger and could run faster than his brothers. 'Fulsamee's front 2 teeth overhung his bottom lip and made him look exactly like what he was, a fierce and capable warrior.

'Fulsamee lived with the other members of his pack deep within the Yagen Forest. It was a network of huge trees, overarching vines, and fearsome inhabitants. Their nesting grounds were carefully congealed in a dug-out area between several massive trees. It would take more than the average thief to find the eggs, and more importantly, escape the wrath of the Dena pack, which patrolled all the land for 25 miles in every direction. To steal an egg from the Dena, and live, was, to the right person, an incredible feat and proof of ability.

The alpha male of the pack was 'Rolamee, and he had led his pack with honor and distinction for many years. 'Rolamee was elderly by raptor standards, but he still managed to hunt alongside the younger and more sprightly raptors. His mate, 'Poromir, was in no less high standing, and held a reputation for dealing out punishment to those who disobeyed the laws of the pack.

This, and other things, were on 'Fulsamee's mind as he paced along the fringe of Dena territory, on surveillance duty. "Almost done", he thought, "just five more miles and I can get some rest." Actually, from where he was it would be more than a short run home, for the edge he was patrolling ended in five miles, and then it was almost 25 back in. But a raptor can move when there is the thought of food and rest before him.

It had been a quiet day so far, except for that bird. That damn bird. The thing had followed 'Fulsamee for half a mile, twittering insanities at him. He would have killed it without a second thought, but the retarded little pecker flew just out of his reach. "Oh well", 'Fulsamee sighed. He devoutly hoped that nothing else came to his attention, as this part of the forest was particularly thick, and there was a good chance that the other patrols wouldn't hear him. There could be any number of things in this final stretch, he thought, not the least of which could be a larger dinosaur that 'Fulsamee wouldn't have a chance against.

"Oh hell..."

About 50 feet away, trampling through the underbrush, was a small group of humans. 'Fulsamee had never actually seen humans before, but he'd heard stories about them... and that death always seemed to follow close behind them. He decided to observe them rather than remove their presence. If they went in the direction of the nests, it would be easy for 'Fulsamee to get there before they did and alert the pack.

The humans moved as if they were seeking a safe haven, constantly looking back and to the sides, like they expected an attack. Not necessarily a bad idea, considering where they were, this part of the forest was not known for being terribly quiet. Still, the fate of a small group of humans was not 'Fulsamee's to watch over, but one that continued in the direction this group had chosen was a concern for the safety of the eggs, which took priority over everything up to and including food. So 'Fulsamee dashed back in to warn his pack of the impending threat.

As 'Fulsamee entered the nesting grounds, he found 'Rolamee quietly examining a newly made nest.

"Leader, while on patrol I encountered a small group of humans wandering through the forest, and headed in the general direction of this site.", reported 'Fulsamee.

"Okay. We can't allow them any closer, as they might attract something big, if they haven't already. Get ready, we'll have to either destroy them or change their direction."

'Rolamee then gave a series of loud barks to gather the rest of the pack. They came quickly, and he spoke.

"A group of humans is inbound on this site. We will either have to destroy them or reroute them. I want 'Fulsamee, 'Lonamee, 'Uramee, and 'Firnomee. The rest of you, prepare for possible assault."

The other 12 raptors stepped back and began various tasks to make ready.

'Rolamee said, "Okay, 'Fulsamee, take point and bring us to where you last found the humans."


	2. T W O

T W O

When the group arrived at the clearing, the humans had disappeared, which didn't surprise 'Fulsamee. However, they had left a slightly less than obvious trail of destroyed foliage in their wake. It was extremely easy to follow. But when 'Fulsamee and his group got to the end of the trail, there were not any humans in sight. A large section of ground had been trampled down, and was covered in blood splatters.

"It seems", 'Fulsamee said, "that something has beat us to the humans."

'Rolamee said, "Yes. But what? It is desirable to lose the human threat, but have we simply had it replaced? And if so, is the new threat worse? Both questions that we must answer."

'Lonamee looked around, confused, and said, "Does anyone else hear something?"

All the raptors listened intently for a few moments, then 'Rolamee acknowledged his query with "Hurry! It is a hatchling!"

Finding a hatchling alone was uncommon, but when one was found, it required care and compassion. There could be no greater crime than to allow a hatchling to die, defenseless. The raptors homed in on the source of the sound, and discovered not what they expected, but an infant human. They all observed the child, until 'Fulsamee broke the silence.

"What do we do with this?"

"I would want to return it, as there is not much we can do for this hatchling. However, if we cannot find the humans, then it will our duty to raise it.", said 'Rolamee.

"But... it is not one of ours. Why us?", asked 'Firnomee.

"Let us search for any remaining humans before we make that decision.", said 'Rolamee.

The raptors split off into separate directions, looking for any humans that might have survived the attack. 'Fulsamee took the child with him for safety. After a half-mile out, each raptor returned to where they had found the child and presented their findings.

"Nothing."

"No sign of the humans."

"I have not found any."

"The forest is silent."

'Rolamee concluded with "I also failed to find surviving humans. This settles the question, we will return the hatchling to our nests and it shall be cared for. Do not argue the matter, it is the greatest dishonor to abandon a hatchling."

With that the raptors, with 'Fulsamee still carrying the infant, left to return to their home.


	3. T H R E E

T H R E E

Upon arrival at the nests, 'Fulsamee deposited the human hatchling in an unused nest and tried to leave the scene quietly. It was one of the only things he ever failed to do, as 'Rolamee found him and said, "Thought you'd get out of it easy, did you? No, until the hatchling can support himself, you will care for it. I know you haven't really done this before, so if you need help, ask 'Sonamir, 'Olimir, or 'Nuramir. They'll know what to do." With that, 'Rolamee left 'Fulsamee alone with the hatchling he'd led the pack to.

Where to start, he thought. That much was fairly obvious - humans, like any other creature he knew, needed to eat. And from what he'd seen of raptor hatchlings, very frequently. 'Fulsamee checked that the hatchling was secure for the moment, went out with 'Uramee, and quickly found and killed a small Stegosaurus. Between the two of them, they brought back a fair quantity of meat for the hatchling. When offered the tender bites, he jammed as much of it as he could into his mouth, and alternately chewed and sucked on the meat until it was extremely dry. He then threw the rock-hard chunk at 'Fulsamee, and hit. The meat bounced off 'Fulsamee's leg, but he was still surprised at the effort it had made.

The now well-fed hatchling paused uncertainly, then released a loud belch that caused 'Fulsamee to jump back about a foot. This, combined with his startled expression, seemed amusing to the hatchling, who immediately broke into laughter. 'Fulsamee took this as a good sign, it at least liked him. After calming down, the hatchling settled down in the nest, curled up slightly, and immediately fell asleep. Finally, thought 'Fulsamee. I can get back to normal living for a moment.

He didn't know just how wrong he was. Over the course of the night, 'Fulsamee was woken by the hatchling no less than four times, and each time it wanted food, or water, or just felt like screaming. It was a nightmare. One he couldn't escape from. However, the following day, 'Sonamir took pity on him and took charge of the hatchling's care and upbringing. It turned out out that she knew a great deal more about raising hatchlings than 'Fulsamee did, not a surprise, but what was truly amazing was that she somehow managed to keep it from screaming. Completely.

In months, the hatchling went from begin absolutely reliant on the raptors to being able to walk around and do small things for itself. It even began to make some of the sounds the raptors made, which were totally different from the human set. It was growing fast, and as it did, 'Fulsamee began to develop a close relationship with the tiny human. They would walk around the forest together, or play hiding games. Sometimes the hatchling was simply content to ride on 'Fulsamee's back as he went about his daily tasks. The other raptors accepted the hatchling as though it was one of their own, and exhibited no less compassion and playfulness towards it than they would for a young raptor. 'Rolamee especially enjoyed its company, and would sit for hours just talking at the hatchling, telling it of the heritage of the Dena pack, of grand battles fought in past ages, and of perils that all faced. Whether or not the hatchling understood any of it was uncertain.


	4. F O U R

F O U R

**12 Years Later**

'Fulsamee reflected upon the events of the past twelve years - the infant, now known as 'Ornamee, the attack on the nests, and the subsequent move to an abandoned human structure. The old pack leader, 'Rolamee, had been killed when a Spinosaurus had attacked their nests, destroying almost all the eggs. Several of 'Fulsamee's brothers had been lost there, and the pack had decided that the site was no longer the safe ground they had previously known it to be. Under the leadership of 'Fulsamee, the raptors, and the child, had searched for a new nesting site. They had found an old, unused human building. The structure was in fairly decent repair compared with some of the other buildings, but it still was damaged from an unknown cataclysm. It was their home now.

Now 12 meta-cycles old, 'Ornamee had quickly grown into a capable fighter and a valuable member of the pack. He lacked any sort of natural weapon, unlike the deadly raptors, but 'Firnomee had shown an inventive streak and had crafted several weapons for 'Ornamee to use. He had learned to run and jump almost as well and as fast as any of the raptors, and could even make every different bark and chirp the raptors could.

Privately, 'Fulsamee was very impressed with 'Ornamee. He had not expected much of the child, thinking that he would die of inability to coexist with what was now 'Fulsamee's pack. However, 'Ornamee had shown a level of tenacity 'Fulsamee did not believe such a small, weak, fleshy creature could possess.

"'Fulsamee!" It was 'Firnomee.

"What?"

"Come outside for a moment. I've got something to show you."

'Fulsamee got up from the extremely comfortable position he'd been in, and followed 'Firnomee out one of the wrecked side doors.

SPLASH!

A large quantity of water from the previous night's rain was dumped on his head. Head quills soaked down to his neck, 'Fulsamee looked up to see who had nailed him, and received a second bucket of water for his troubles. Unfortunately, he'd also had his mouth open enough to catch more than a desirable amount of water. Through water-blurred vision, he could see that 'Ornamee was responsible for his dousing.

"Hey! You little...", he yelled, got a small running start, and jumped the 10 or so feet up onto the roof where 'Ornamee was. A small romp ensued, with the two rolling around on the rooftop, and 'Fulsamee winding up pinning 'Ornamee under his still-wet foot. And one arm. He didn't give up easily.

"Hah! Gotcha!"

"And? You always win."

"That was good. I should have known better than to follow 'Firnomee out, the two of you are completely inseparable. Did you really need something though, or was this just a cheap way to get me off my tail?

At that moment, 'Sonamir came through the doorway.

"'Fulsamee, one of the younger scouts just reported back. You need to see this. Follow me."

The trio followed 'Sonamir back into the building, through several ruined halls, and finally into a large room with piles of dried grass arranged around the perimeter. The other two female raptors were gathered around the scout 'Sonamir had mentioned, who had a pair of large slash marks down his flank. They were doing their best to treat the wounds, but there was a large pool of blood beneath the young raptor, named 'Diromee.

"What happened? 'Diromee, give me your report!", said 'Fulsamee as they arrived.

"Leader... it was near... the southern border, second section. There were... others... not ours. They come... I saw two, but... there may be more.", he finished, and fell silent.

"Another pack of raptors?"

'Diromee nodded.

"Well... this is interesting..." Turning to 'Firnomee, he said, "Can we seal this building in any way? We cannot have anyone getting in here and destroying or taking our eggs."

"Leader, the humans did not construct this building, as a whole, for security. However, there are several sections of it which we could move the eggs to until the threat is dealt with. With your permission, I will take 'Ornamee and begin the necessary preparations. I would project the secure areas to be ready within a quarter-cycle."

"Granted. Be swift.", said 'Fulsamee.

'Firnomee and 'Ornamee left for parts unknown, and 'Fulsamee went around the lower levels dispensing orders. He instructed 'Isnomee, 'Ikaporamee, and 'Nosimee to follow him and face the threat of another pack, and had the female raptors collect and move the eggs to 'Firnomee's safe areas.


	5. F I V E

F I V E

"Over here, 'Ornamee.", said 'Firnomee.

The young human was hard at work moving bales of dried grass into a large room deep in the heart of the facility. Large, broken glass tanks lined the walls, and strange banks of human devices were crammed into a corner. None of it worked, except for a few dim, flickering light bars in the ceiling, which made the room fairly dark.

"There.", he said as 'Ornamee deposited the last bale. "Now we can go and begin moving the eggs in. Come."

Together they went and, with the help of 'Olimir, 'Sonamir, and 'Nuramir, quickly moved all 48 eggs into the makeshift nests 'Firnomee had arranged for them. The female raptors would remain with the eggs while 'Firnomee and 'Ornamee went out to join up with 'Fulsamee and his crew.

'Ornamee closed the large set of double doors that led into the new egg chamber and headed outside with 'Firnomee. When he got out, 'Fulsamee's group was just about to leave in the direction 'Diromee had indicated.

"That was fast.", remarked 'Fulsamee. "Alright everyone: here we go. Form up behind me. Do not take any actions unless I order you to."

The raptors fell in as told and slowly walked toward Section Two of the southern border. Only a mile into the trip, 'Fulsamee signaled for everyone to stop and be silent. His head swiveled left and right, as if searching for something. He paused, looking straight ahead, then suddenly lashed out with his right fist. There was a loud smack, then the sound of bushes being crushed as something heavy fell. 'Fulsamee turned, reached into the half-destroyed bush, and dragged out a young raptor.

"Aha! And where are you from!", he demanded.

The raptor remained silent.

"Okay. You are not one of mine. I have no reason to keep you alive."

Still, it refused to speak.

"Okay, fine. An admirable quality, loyalty, however in this situation it is not going to get you very far. You have thirty seconds."

"I.. I am Bako 'Putumee, Excellency. My pack is just south of here. They should be here in less than a quarter-cycle." He paused, then said, "Is that all you require, Excellency?"

"Yes. Thank you.", said 'Fulsamee.

'Fulsamee then threw the raptor down, planted his right foot on its neck, and severed its spine. 'Fulsamee stepped over the body, and said, "Come. We have work to do. 'Ornamee, stay behind us at a distance beyond the range of sight and smell. Normally, I would allow you to join us, but unfortunately you would distract our adversaries, for obvious reasons, and I do not have time for that. Do not rejoin us until I instruct you to do so." 'Ornamee moved off the path they had been traveling, and melted into the shadows. The others followed close behind 'Fulsamee.

About a quarter-mile further into the forest, 'Fulsamee again signaled for the group to stop. He took several steps forward and said, "Your cowardice does not serve you well. Come out, and state your purpose."

Three raptors materialized from the shadows of trees. They were dark in color, and all had blazing red eyes sunken in their sockets. One, larger than the others, stepped forward.

"Who are you? Why do you venture forth towards our land?"

Fulsamee replied, "I was under the impression that I had requested that information first."

The other paused, then said, "True... I am Bako 'Neramee. I am leading my pack towards the assimilation of greater territory." He gestured to his right, and said, "This is my mate 'Karomee, and this," pointing to the male at his left, "is 'Mortumee."

"This greater territory is in the direction that we have come from, yes?"

"Unless we deem it to be unsuitable."

"I regret to inform you that it is most unsuitable for your habitation, being that my pack has already laid claim to it. Your expansion cannot continue."

"Or so you think. If you will not yield the land to me, then I shall have to take it from you."

"Good luck."

'Neramee nodded to his raptors, and then, like lightning, crouched and threw himself, mouth open in a scream of war, and claws extended, at 'Fulsamee. 'Fulsamee watched impassively as this happened, then neatly sidestepped 'Neramee, and delivered a sharp blow to the back of his skull as he passed. Not enough to kill, but enough to stun. 'Neramee hit the ground and crumpled. The other raptors engaged in the melee, and a raging fight ensued. 'Fulsamee watched as his raptors fought the Bako pack. 'Firnomee rolled, locked in a grapple with 'Mortumee, and both 'Ikaporamee and 'Isnomee were exchanging fierce slashes and bites with 'Karomee. 'Nosimee also watched the fight, but as 'Firnomee and 'Mortumee rolled past, he stepped in and slashed 'Mortumee, a difficult blow to land, as the two were moving fast, and slashed open 'Mortumee's chest. The shock from this caused 'Mortumee to momentarily release his grip on 'Firnomee, which 'Firnomee took advantage of and pinned 'Mortumee down much as 'Fulsamee had the Bako scout. The results were also identical.

Suddenly, 'Fulsamee was down, and his back was being sliced open by 'Neramee, who apparently had recovered sufficiently to make another bid for 'Fulsamee's life. There wasn't a grand lot 'Fulsamee could do, he was down and his legs were not in a position that could be useful. His vision went red, and 'Fulsamee was on the very brink of transcending the physical when there was a loud CRACK! 'Fulsamee had a moment to wonder what had happened, until his vision faded and he blacked out.


	6. S I X

S I X

For a while, 'Fulsamee drifted between states of near-coherence, and deliriousness, seeing fragments of his past float by, or hearing bits of conversation. Eventually, the fragments slowly began to resolve into a familiar figure, though who 'Fulsamee was not sure. The figure was different, somehow, but his mind could not reason why. Then, it was if a lens had been snapped into place, and the bits and pieces of his existence were reanimated and reorganized. The figure became clear, and it was suddenly plain to 'Fulsamee that this individual was none other than the hatchling he had carried back to the nests twelve years ago. Dena 'Ornamee stood over his recovering form, looking relieved.

"There you are. I was beginning to really worry, 'Sonamir patched you up, but it's been many cycles, and you haven't changed."

"I... 'Neramee... what... happened?"

"Well, you ordered me to stay back, and I did. Until I heard someone scream, and I came closer to see what was going on. When I found you, you were down and being torn apart by that big one. The others were all busy, so I ran up and slammed him off your back. I must have hit something important, because there was this loud cracking sound. He wasn't dead though, but 'Firnomee rushed over and finished him. You lost a lot of blood, so much that we only returned with your body so you could be buried. But 'Sonamir checked some things and told us to put you here. She fixed up your wounds, but no one was sure you would survive."

He continued, "Anyway, you are alive, and that's what's important."

"Understood. Thank you.", he said, "and.. have I stopped bleeding?"

"Yes, 'Sonamir took the bandages off last cycle. It has been a long time, as I said."

'Ornamee watched in astonishment as the tall raptor slowly got back to his feet. Ten cycles in a coma, lost large amounts of blood, and 'Fulsamee still managed to pick himself up like he'd just been knocked down, not sliced closer to death than anything 'Ornamee had ever seen. The pain he must have been feeling... it didn't bear imagining. Amazing.

Fulsamee looked at him and said, "Well? There is much to be done. Let's go!"

--E N D----------------------------------------------------------

That's it for now, unless someone has a fix for me to make. If you haven't read CH 1 recently, do so again, I've added in a Foreword for you.


End file.
